Civil War re-enactment in Menifee welcomes curious minds

MENIFEE - The "Battle of Furhmanberg" began just before noon
Saturday.

Guns began firing, cannons were blasting, babies were crying and
car alarms were screaming. The rugged ranch in Menifee was suddenly
the site of a deadly stand-off between Union and Confederate
forces.

Midway through the fighting, Gen. Robert E. Lee lowered his
glass of water away from his lips in time to utter, "I think we
might lose this one."

After about 45 minutes, the casualties had mounted and a lone
bugler centered himself on the battered battlefield to play "Taps."
As the last note escaped the instrument and reverberated off the
mountain walls, the fight was over. And moments later - like a
miracle - the dead rose and returned to their camps.

The eighth annual Civil War re-enactment in Menifee offered a
glimpse into the past. Nearly 200 spectators, young and old, not
only saw how battles were fought during the bloody, four-year
conflict, they also learned how life went on more than two
centuries ago.

Three million soldiers fought from 1861-65. The Civil War was
the deadliest war ever for Americans - 600,000 soldiers died. Many
are still fascinated by the war because it was fought on American
soil; a conflict that divided the nation and turned people against
each other based on geography.

Tom Furhman, the owner of the property and organizer of the
event, said the weekend re-enactment was a way to help a new
generation understand a part of the nation's history. He said each
of the 195 actors who portrayed actual people who lived or fought
during the war embodied volumes of history. But he added there was
a greater lesson being taught.

"We're trying to educate these kids on what a terrible thing war
is," Furhman said. "You never want to end a disagreement with
war."

Dozens of students were on hand to observe and conduct
interviews of the re-enactors. Alex Smith and Kelly Morrill,
eighth-graders from Bell Mountain Middle School in Menifee, said
they were at the event to complete a history project that would be
the culmination of their studies of the Civil War.

"It's kind of cool to meet people who represent the past," Alex
said.

"It's pretty much like what we learned in school," Kelly said.
"We are supposed to ask questions about the war, and the answers we
got back were like interviewing a history book."

Aside from the gun battles taking place on this 36-acre
property, Furhman will also have a court fight on his hands as he
was cited by Riverside County Code Enforcement officers Saturday
for "land use without Riverside County Planning Department
Approval."

The officers who issued Furhman the citation Saturday afternoon
said that since the event had more than 200 attendees, a
conditional use permit was required. Furhman said he was told by
county planning department personnel that only paid spectators were
to be included in the total attendance count - and that the
entertainers and the re-enactors were not part of the tally. At the
time the citation was issued to Furhman, 176 spectators had come
through the gates.